Starter mechanism



Nov. 10, 1936. s s 2,060,769

STARTER MECHANISM Filed Oct. 51, '1955 Patented Nov. 10, 1936 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE STARTER MECHANISM Application October 31, 1935, Serial No. 47,620

3 Claims.

This invention relates to a starting mechanism for internal combustion motors.

In the past, it has been the practice to use a yielding drive in such starting mechanism. The yielding drive usually consisted of a coil spring that would frequently fracture under severe pressure and incapacitate the starting mechanism. This invention is designed to overcome this objection in the provision of means for limiting the yielding drive to a predetermined extent and before there will be any fracture of the spring and using a rigid final drive for effecting the starting operation.

The invention comprises the novel structure and combination of parts hereinafter described and more particularly pointed out and defined in the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawing which illustrates a preferred form of this invention and in which similar reference numerals refer to similar features in the different views:

Figure 1 is an elevational view of a starting mechanism involving this invention.

Figure 2 is a sectional view taken upon the line II-II of Figure 1.

Figure 3 is a longitudinal sectional view through the mechanism.

Figure 4 is a sectional View taken upon the line IV-IV of Figure 3.

Figure 5 is a fragmentary, part sectional and part elevational View of the mechanism.

The invention in its broadest aspects involves a starting pinion or the like and a driving member having a yielding connection therewith for a part of the starting operation and a rigid connection therewith for the remainder of the starting operation. While it is conceived that such a purpose can be effected in various ways, a preferred manner of accomplishing the result has been illustrated in the drawing.

The aforesaid driving member comprises a shaft I with a collar 2 rigidly secured thereon, as by a set screw 3 and a sleeve 4a secured to the shaft upon the left hand side of the collar. A coil spring 4 surrounds the sleeve 4a and one end 5 of this spring is bent at right angles and extended into a notch or recess 8 in the sleeve 4a. The other end of said spring is directed outwardly at substantially a right angle and engages a notch or recess 8 in the end of a cylindrical member or shell 9 surrounding said spring. The cylindrical member 9 has a shoulder Iii, best seen in Figure 5. The shoulder I B is formed by one edge of a rearwardly extending part H of the shell 9. It will be noted that the head of the set screw 3 travels in a path that brings it into contact with the shoulder i ii after a partial revolution of the driving member l in the proper direction for causing a rigid driving connection between the member i and the shell 9.- While the screw 3, which forms an abutment, is traveling towards the shoulder iii, the spring '4 will, of course, be partially wound up since it forms a yielding connection between the member l and the shell 8.

The shell 9 may be provided with an intermediate partition 92 at the forward end of the sleeve ia. In the forward portion of the shell 9, there is housed the aforementioned pinion l3. This pinion is provided with a rear smooth hub portion 93a and a forward toothed portion E31). A stud Hi, shown in dotted lines in Figure 1, extends from the hub portion Lia and into a spiral slot 15 in the shell 9. A stationary sleeve it eX- tends through the pinion it for supporting the same for sliding and rotary movement. The sleeve 16 has a forward stop head 51 for limiting the longitudinal movement of the pinion i3, and when it is in position for engaging an engine member. If desirable, a round support It may extend through the sleeve.

In the operation of this starting mechanism, power is applied to the driving member I for turning the same in a clockwise direction, as viewed in Figure 2. At first, the yielding connection 4 will cause the shell 9 to rotate therewith and this rotation of the shell will cause the pinion 9 to move longitudinally on the sleeve it due to the coaction of the stud i l and the spiral slot [5. This longitudinal movement of the pinion l3 will of course cause the same to enter into meshing relation with a driven member (not shown). The power necessary to rotate the pinion will cause the spring 4 to be wound up until the abutment 3 strikes the shoulder Hi when a rigid drive will occur, as is obvious. It might be mentioned that the inertia of the pinion i3 is sufficient to produce such an operation as herein set forth. The parts are returned in a manner well known in the art.

It is, of course, contemplated that the yielding drive should be of such a duration as to bring the pinion E3 to its operative position before the screw 3 contacts the shoulder it and forms the rigid drive. In actual operation there will probably be very little tension imparted to the spring 4 during the longitudinal movement of the pinion l3. The take-up in the spring 4 will largely occur under load and the rigid drive will be effected at a predetermined load.

spring 4 which constitutes the yielding connection is avoided and there is very little chance of fracturing the spring as heretofore.

I am aware that many changes may be made and numerous details of construction may be varied through a wide range without departing from the principles of this invention, and I, therefore, do not purpose limiting the patent granted hereon otherwise than is necessitated by the prior art.

I claim as my invention:

1. In an engine starter, a driving shaft, a collar rigid on said driving shaft and having an abutment extending beyond the periphery thereof, a shell surrounding said shaft and having a shoulder adapted for engagement by said abutment, a coil spring surrounding said shaft within said shell and having one end anchored to said shaft and the other end anchored to said shell, a stationary sleeve surrounding said shaft and having a collar at its forward end, a pinion mounted upon said sleeve within said shell, said sleeve having a spiral slot and said pinion having a stud extending into said slot.

2. In an engine starter, a shaft, a collar rigidly secured upon said shaft and having an abutment, a shell surrounding said shaft in spaced relation therewith, and having a shoulder for engagement by said abutment, said shell having an intermediate portion embracing said shaft, a spacing sleeve secured upon said shaft between said collar and intermediate portion, a coil spring surrounding said sleeve and having one end anchored thereto and the other end anchored to said shell, a stationary bearing support surrounding said shaft forward of the intermediate portion of said shell, and a pinion freely mounted upon said bearing support within said shell, said shell having a spiral slot and said pinion having a stud projecting into said slot.

3. In an engine starter, a shaft, a collar rigid upon said shaft and having an abutment, a shell surrounding said shaft in spaced relation therewith and having a shoulder for engagement by said abutment after a predetermined rotation of said shaft, said shell having an intermediate flange embracing said shaft, spacing means between said flange and collar, a coil spring surrounding said spacing means and having one end anchored thereto and the other end anchored to said shell, a stationary bearing support extending forward from said flange, and a pinion mounted upon said support within said shell, said shell having a spiral slot and said pinion having a stud extending into said slot.

ODILON BRISBOIS. 

